


So I won't regret another day

by Antares10



Category: Undertale
Genre: AU, Alphys is here, Asgore really went to the deep end, Gerson is here too, Grillby accidently became owner of an orphanage, Grillby and Toriel getting along well, Grillby cares a lot, Grillby isn't an asshole, Grillby just wanna have a house full of children okay?, Grillby thinking a lot about Asgore and what a fool he is, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Mentions of Death, Mettaton will take the stage, Minor Character Death, Papyrus cares for his brother, Papyrus isn't an asshole, Rescue, Sans and Toriel being BFFs, Sans being very gay for Grillby, Sans is a bit awkward but he tries, Sans is in trouble, THings are bad but not as bad, Underfell, Undyne is not sure about this, Violence, a bit more kisses, but is in it for Papyrus, gaster is a creep, healthy relationship, its still sfw, kinda really intense and emotional cuddling, mention of death on muliple occations, mentions of fucked up stuff Asgore did, mentions of killings, monster are still monster, more kisses, no glowing dicks, there are gentle relationships in Underfell, tiny kisses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-01-30 21:21:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12661656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antares10/pseuds/Antares10
Summary: Grillby frowned at a stain on his bar that shouldn't be there. Because it wasn't mustard and that meant Sans wasn't here and hadn't been here all day. Sans is missing and whoever took him has now to face the ice-cold wrath of the old fire elemental.A Underfell Sansby story.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just a tiny oneshort that went on in my head. Underfell really needs more happy and healthy relationships out there. So here you have it. Some Sansby in Underfell. 
> 
> Some of the ideas for the worldbuilding came up in discussions between me and namekian-maoh when we talked about Underfell in general so I won't take all the credit for it. (Also no, this Grillby here is UF!Grillby, a purple flame. He ISN'T Fellby from TBS AU who is a blue flame with a VERY different story. The UF!Grillby here also isn't like the Grillby in the TBS either.)
> 
> So just have some fun okay? ^^

 

Grillby frowned at the spot on his counter. He couldn't quite tell what it was but it wasn't mustard and that kinda... wasn't right. He could tolerate the mustard, it was usually from Sans after all, but for that other spill to be here it had to mean that not only Sans wasn't here yet but that there was another monster at the place of the skeleton.

 

See, Sans had... layers. First and foremost, he looked a bit intimidating over a layer of a absolute wimp. Even with people knowing what he could do, just looking at him you WOULD underestimate him. But tell you what, that little skeleton packed a punch and some powerful magic. No LOVE at his soul and still able to beat everybody who started trouble to a bulb.

 

Grillby respected that a lot, he hated dust in his bar after all. Having Sans here kept things calm. Not that he couldn't take care of it himself. Nobody in their right mind would ever mess with him. Flame elementals are rare these days but Grillby was a purple one and had taken up shop in Snowdin of all places. A show of his power for one and a way to get away from the crowed mess that was Hotland for another. He liked the calm atmosphere of Snowdin and he liked the small skeleton who kept the calm.

 

Then there was his brother of course but honestly, Grillby had known Papyrus since he was a baby bones and had seen him at work more than once. He SEEMED all hardass and intimidating but he also had enforced the previously more lax rules of no killing somebody in stripes with an iron fist. And you know, general murder in general. Things these days were actually more peaceful and save with the great and terrible Papyrus around.

 

So, back to the spill that shouldn't be there. It started to concern Grillby.

 

"Hey Red.", he crackled, looking to the grim looking Parrot monster sitting at the bar. "Have you seen little gold tooth around?"

 

"Sans?", asked Red, frowning. "Now that you say it... not today."

 

Grillby huffed, trying to keep worry from his mind. There was another rule in the Underground beside kill or be killed. If you care for something, hide it away. Monster disappearing usually had two reasons: they are dust or they are hidden away by their partner. One was reason to either grief them or raid their stuff, the other was much more happier but the chances of them to ever been seen again were slim too. But usually monster that go into hiding at least would say goodbye to whoever gets left behind...

 

Sans was a strong monster but his stats were shit. Grillby was one of the few to know that fact. 1 HP, 1 AKT, 1 DEF. It was pathetic but all the more impressive how Sans still could fight with that.

 

Still, the thought of the skeleton being gone either way let Grillby's core feel... kinda cold. He didn't even know which outcome he would prefer.

 

"Did you hear if he had a partner?", he asked.

 

"Nope.", mumbled Red. "But you know how he is, all private like. Could be he hid it."

 

Grillby nodded. If somebody would have either murdered Sans or hid him away, it would have been somebody from Snowdin... He looked around his bar, looking at everybody collected here, trying to determine who would have either killed or hidden away Sans. But none of them really looked like they got the guts for that.

 

Their friendship was... known. In a way. In the Underground in theory you should never show weakness, something like friendship was officially frowned upon. But everybody with half a brain saw that that was bullshit. Grillby snorted at the old King. Monster souls were made out of love, compassion and magic. It was who they were and if the old fool thought he could just change that, he was servery mistaken. There weren't many monster still around to know the old days but Grillby was one of them and to be totally fucking honest, he missed these days. To have friends and family and loved ones.

 

On the other hand, the more you care about them the more it hurts if it were taken away. Grillby suppressed an old memory of bright eyes and laughter and the warm feeling of love and trust and happiness coming from a soul in his hands, willingly given just as he gave his own...

 

He shook his head, all of this was long gone. Everything was different now but some things never changed.

 

It was dangerous to have friends but when you were strong... well you could protect them too.

 

So in theory things like friendship and love didn't exist but monster yearned for it so there it was, hidden and covered up but there. Everybody would deny that the handsome, powerful flame from Snowdin would have tender feelings for the lazy skeleton but everybody knew it was true. And nobody would be stupid enough to challenge his wrath. For anybody to have hurt Sans or hidden him away without giving him the opportunity to say goodbye to his friends... they have to have a death-wish or be very very stupid.

 

And all of them didn't even know half of it and the debts of Grillby's feeling.

 

Grillby made a decision. He lowered his voice and turned to Red once again.

 

"Give the signal then. We got a meeting at the usual place the usual time. And I better see everybody show up.", he growled.

 

Red just side eyed him but nodded, not daring to ask or question the order.

 

Grillby leaned back and continued his work. Stupid kill or be killed, Asgore be damned. One of these days it will be to much trouble, so much so that he will interfere personally. But today he got more important stuff on his plate.

 

 

 

The usual place was actually another building on the edge of Snowdin that Grillby owned. It was easy to do so, Grillby was there when Snowdin was build and founded after all. It looked pretty simple but this house was one of the heart pieces of Grillby's little... operation.

 

It had started with some orphans actually. Monster kids still in stripes which were spared but now without their parents or family, totally alone and scared and hungry and cold. And Grillby... well he always had a bleeding heart for children. So he took them in, raised them as his own, taught them how to fight and defend and flee and spare.

He also taught them about family and loyalty, in the old way, the way of elementals. Children were precious after all, for an elemental a very rare blessing to be gifted with them (a blessing he never got before), and he held onto this belief, the king's apathy towards the murder of young for easy EXP be damned.

 

And they stuck with him. And they showed they had learned well from him. They stuck to each other too, protecting each other, getting food for the ones without, taking care of each other... trading information and goods under the watchful eyes of the old flame elemental who kinda and kinda not raised all of them. And over the years and decades and more, it somehow... got more and more. Never enough to change the Underground, of course, but enough to make a difference.

 

(There was a little voice inside his soul, telling him that somebody he lost would be so proud of him for this.)

 

It was... kinda disturbing how easily children found themselves in his care, even with Grillby denying that he ever took anybody in. Somehow they knew there was a safe space for them.

 

Sans and Papyrus had been such children too. Not the ones that would stay all the time, but they would come and get food and shelter on bad nights and Grillby let them. Children shouldn't be cold or hungry after all. They were never fully his, so to speak thou. More like... people he got to know and helped out. Both of them were always mature for their age. Or the age that they seemed to be, the stars knew with Skeletons, they were hard to figure out.

 

How long ago was it now? Twenty years? Or even more?

 

Both of them never talked about what they went through and Grillby never made them. They just grew up like the others and stuck around. Papyrus became the law of Snowdin and Sans became...

 

Sans became important too.

 

And now Sans was gone.

 

"Shut up!", Grillby barked into the chatting lot that was currently sitting all over the biggest room of them house that was not an orphanage. "We got stuff to discuss and I really don't wanna repeat myself."

 

"Is it about Sans?", asked somebody. "He didn't show up all day!"

 

"Yes it is about Sans but I told you all to shut up.", growled Grillby. He crossed his arms, trying to look relaxed and casual but he knew his flames would show just how much this was messing with him. "Anyways, here is the deal: Sans was last seen yesterday afternoon at his post. After that he has seem to disappeared."

 

"His bro is searching for him.", said somebody else. "He is really irritated, he even forgot to act like he didn't care."

 

"So did anybody heard what could have happened to Sans?", asked Grillby, looking around. If Papyrus didn't know where he was that would pretty much toss being hidden away out of the window. Papyrus would have known if somebody was sweet on Sans or if Sans had considered going into hiding.

 

Grillby kinda hoped that whoever had Sans had just taken him hostage and not actually dusted him.

 

“Well... I heard he pissed off somebody of the higher ups.”, said Doggo, frowning slightly as if he was trying hard to remember that fact. “There was talk of revenge but it wasn't different than the other times.”

 

“Tem village had not heard anything.”, said Bob the Temmie, sitting comfortable among the dogs.

 

“There is somebody asking around for a skeleton in Hotland.”, answered a lizard monster. “But that was already there before and Sans isn't the only skeleton.”

  
“Yeah, why go through the trouble of taking Sans from Snowdin when there are lots of them running around in New Home?”, mumbled Grillby. “Anything else?”

 

“I can set some people on the trail if you like?”, said a small mouse monster.

 

Grillby took a deep breath, seeing that all the others had no useful things to add either. It was going to be a long day.

 

Whatever had Sans gotten into this time?

 

 

 

 

The first point of their agenda was to reach out to Papyrus. The second point was that Grillby got his own informants out and running around. He huffed, thinking about how much this will cost him. But on the other hand, he could spare it, right? His gang (his children, his family, HIS) stuck together and he with them and he would not stand for anybody to mess with them. And Sans was part of that. Part of Snowdin, of the gang, of everything.

 

Part of Grillby's life.

 

So Grillby did something he usually didn't do: Get out of the bar and went to do some investigation himself. With point one of course.

 

He knocked at the door of the small house close to his bar, windows closed but some dim lights illuminating the front of it. First there was nothing but Grillby huffed and knocked again.

 

"Papyrus, get out! I know you are there!"

 

There was again nothing for a minute before Grillby heard the click of bone against wood close to the door. He smiled a bit. Despite everything, Papyrus knew him and knew him well enough that he would just blow up their fucking door if he wasn't let in anytime soon.

 

The Papyrus who opened the door looked worse than usual. Eye-lights dim but sharp, a snarl on his face that let his fangs come out a bit more than usual and deep shadows around his eye-sockets, making them seem bigger and deeper than usual.

 

"Grillby.", he growled out. "It's a... surprise."

 

"Believe me, I rather not have a reason to be here.", Grillby huffed. "... you gonna let me in?"

 

Papyrus growled again but finally stepped aside to let Grillby in.

 

Inside it was dark and got darker when Papyrus closed the door behind them. Grillby huffed a bit, despite the fact that purple flames were powerful, they sadly did shit to illuminate a room around him. Still, he could see well enough like this. The home of the skeletons seemed to be a mess. There were pillows thrown around, the couch looked like Papyrus had taken some bones to it... and Papyrus himself looked more ragged than usual too.

 

"So. you know why I am here?", said Grillby, turning fully to Papyrus while sweeping a spot free of debris from the couch to sit down.

 

"I don't.", huffed Papyrus. "To annoy me when I got a shit-ton of other stuff to do?"

 

"Do you mean... a skeleton?", asked Grillby, grinning, Sans's mischievous voice in the back of his head. Stars he really did miss this guy...

Instead of a scream of protest however Papyrus sat down himself, eyes downcast.

 

"... that bad?", asked Grillby after a while, a bit surprised himself how gentle his voice got.

 

"He wasn't at his post yesterday.", said Papyrus. "I first thought he was just out. But he wasn't at his usual spots. He wasn't at your bar..."

 

"So you really don't know where he is?"

 

"No, I know... got this earlier..." He handed over a paper. A crude handwriting, obviously to hide the origin of the writer, spelled some simple words.

 

_We got the pile of bones. If you don't want a pile of dust back step down as royal guard._

 

"Not even sighed.", mumbled Grillby. "It's a shame, this stuff screams of idiots who would do something like that... besides, there is no word about getting Sans back at all."

 

"Yeah...", mumbled Papyrus. "I don't know what to do."

 

"If you retire, who knows who Snowdin gets huh?"

 

"Yes. there are a few in the line but they are... unprofessional.", Papyrus said with a frown and Grillby knew that this was one of the worst insults the skeleton had to offer. Despite his very colorful vocabulary in fact. “But they are in line and Undyne can't just skip all of them.”

 

"Any idea who this could be?"

 

"None. The ones who could get the position would not be able to capture Sans. My brother is not a weakling, even if he tends to be a lazy slop.", said Papyrus with some of his old heat before falling back into the couch. "... I miss him."

 

"... me too."

 

"You do?"

 

"I do.", said Grillby. He didn't said that Sans was dear to him. A friend, a stable in his daily routine. One of the people that proof to him that things weren't as shitty as they could be. He wouldn't said that he maybe, a tiny bit, loved this guy. He didn't said that he had thought about hiding Sans away himself but didn't do so out of respect for his abilities to stand on his own. It wasn't necessary.

 

His flames and face and tone must have said it all. Papyrus just understood and nodded.

 

"Give me the letter, Papyrus.", said Grillby. "I see what I can do."

 

"You help us?"

 

"Of course.", chuckled Grillby darkly. "Whoever did this, they messed with my stuff. So they have to deal with me now."

 

Papyrus just nodded and gave the paper over. He didn't said thank you but it was all the same for Grillby. He would get Sans back either way.

 

 

 

It was kinda simple and Grillby was a tiny bit disappointed by that. Doggo was able to pick up some smell from the paper and the house he led Grillby to was hint enough to find out who was behind that. His own informants filled in the blanks for him and all in all he was rather annoyed by all of it.

 

It all came down to politics. Of course it did. Somebody wanted Snowdin to fall into greater chaos, shifting power balances, removing one powerful supporter from Undyne so there could be less stability. So they could use that to get the King to make some new rules that suited them.

Sans all in all was just a stepping stone in getting Papyrus and at the same time payment for one of their other supporter: a deranged scientist with the name of Gaster.

 

He was a nasty piece of work and Grillby considered going all out on him. He had red some of the stuff the monster had published and he didn't liked it one bit. Especially the part where he used orphan monster children to try and create some human souls out of them with bad results for the unfortunate kids.

 

For a moment Grillby thought back to Sans and Papyrus and how they were when he first saw them, tiny and scared, bones a bit to thin and obviously starved and scratches and wounds all over them, and imagined them in the hands of this mad man. He imagined Sans now at the hands of this mad man. And nope, he wouldn't stand for that. Not at all.

 

All of them would go down. He would make sure of that.

 

Usually he wouldn't resort to using raw violence himself. Honestly it just made a mess out of everything. But today... today he kinda was done with giving a shit. So he just kicked the door in of the rather new looking house and stepped in. The smell of burned alcohol and sulfur assaulted him and Grillby had to use all his self-control to not cover up his face.

 

It also wasn't silent. There were clicks and clacks and humming of some hidden machines. And in the middle of it all there were shocked screams. There was something moving in the edge of Grillby's eyes and he threw a fire ball without looking, just getting rewarded by a shriek and a thumb as a body collided with the floor.

 

"So.", Grillby said, stepping in. "To be totally honest, I have no nerve or time for this bullshit. You know why I am here. Give me the skeleton and I might not leave a pile of dust for the guards to sweep up afterwards."

 

"I wouldn't know why claim you got on my property.", said a smooth voice. Grillby stepped aside before a purple tinted magic string could snake around his arms. He huffed. Purple magic. Typical.

 

"I said I have no nerve for this bullshit.", growled Grillby. "Last chance."

 

"I payed for him, fair and square.", huffed the other one. Gaster. A tall skeleton, purple eye-lights and a twisted smile on his face. He also looked... very composed. Grillby never had that much of an impulse to punch somebody in their face.

 

"You know, I don't give a shit about that.", growled Grillby. "Give him or turn to dust. Honestly, it's the same to me."

 

"I am afraid I can't do that.", chuckled Gaster darkly. "All these years I searched for my little runaway experiment... I won't give up my work just yet."

 

... yeah he was going down. Grillby didn't even bothered with a verbal response, just forming fireballs and throwing them at the skeleton. He saw how Gaster blocked his fire with his strings so he got close and punched the stupid skeleton right into the skull. There was an ugly CRACK and Gaster got some shiny new cracks on his skull. Grillby snorted softly.

 

The fight afterwards was short but brutal. Gaster lost both his arms and one leg in the process and Grillby did had ugly wounds on his shoulder and back, coat and shirt shredded by Gasters attacks. Those blasters were freaking strong and he was gland when he finally destroyed them all!

 

It took just one final punch and Gaster was down, slowly dusting on the ground. Grillby spit some hot magic at him before walking away without a look back.

 

There had been other monster here. They were none now. Grillby growled softly but to be honest, he was quite happy about not having to deal with any of them now.

 

The house was a glorified backyard-lab complete with all kinds of creepy instruments and torture devices. Whoever the poor suckers where whose dust was laying on the Ground, Grillby really hoped they liked cheep floor and maybe some knives and of course the underside of his boots. The thought of Sans being among the dust hit him again and Grillby went a bit faster in searching the house.

 

There were many things he could accept in his life but he wouldn't that Sans was dead and gone just like that.

 

(Dust and gone like the last one he loved.)

 

He honestly felt close to panic, soul and magic beating a bit to fast, his mind offering all kinds of “what ifs” when he heard a muffled sound from one corners of the dark room he was searching.

 

He turned and went to investigate, a flame ball summoned into his hand to illuminate the room for him. He heard the sound again, a low sound kinda like a groan and he walked closer towards the source of his.

 

Just behind some old looking shelves he found Sans, locked into a cage like an animal, bound and seemingly gagged and something around his neck that seemed to spark whenever Sans's eye lights got a bit stronger, making him groan out in pain behind the gag. Magic suppressor, most likely. There were rumors that Asgore used them quite often, to control and humiliate monster... he also heard of them being used as a torture device too. Put the collar on a healer and watch as they shake and go half-crazy when they see somebody hurt and unable to do anything. That was what his spies had told him anyways.

 

(He wondered if a friend he once had went down like this, hopeless because he was unable to help anymore. It was cruel, so cruel for a green soul to be denied to give mercy and kindness...)

 

Grillby frowned at the thought. Maybe he really should be doing something about Asgore soon.

 

First things first: Sans.

 

"Well, looks like you got yourself into deep shit.", mumbled Grillby as he melted open the cage, not missing how Sans was relaxing slowly. "You're lucky I found you."

 

He freed him from the collar first, then the gag and hands and arms. Sans was shaken, obviously and he kinda fell into his arms but he was whole and alive and Grillby could feel his magic flow through his bones strong and steady again.

 

"Thanks...", Sans mumbled, voice raspy and exhausted and... weak. "For coming."

 

"Of course I would.", said Grillby softly. "I look after my own."

 

"I am yours now?"

 

"Well...", Grillby chuckled. Life was short, maybe not his own but that of others and who knew what would happen in the future? He leaned down, pressing a small peck against the skull in front of him. It was a small sign of affection but it meant much, especially considering the circumstances. Sans also blushed a really pretty shade of red. "If you want me to?"

 

"I...", mumbled Sans out but didn't talk anymore, body finally giving in to the exhaustion. "I am glad you're here..."

 

"Yeah, me too.", mumbled Grillby. He stood, picking Sans up and holding him against himself. Sans was very light in his arms but Grillby couldn't tell if that was normal or a sign that he needed more care. No matter what, Grillby felt the urge to hold him closer and warmer, flames shifting a bit to direct more heat to the small body in his arms. "Let's go home."

 

Sans blinked at him at their position. "Like this?"

 

"What about it?"

 

"People will talk..."

 

Grillby snorted. "They can if they want. Soon there will be stories about what happened to the ones who took you. Nobody messes with me, I'll burn them all to ash and dust."

 

"You are... to hot to handle for them?"

 

Sans giggled a tiny bit and Grillby sighed but it was okay. He loved this ridiculous monster anyway. "Yeah, sure."

 

"Also nobody messes with your orphanage, huh?"

 

"It's not an orphanage!"

 

"You take in kids and feed them and stuff."

 

"I just happen to own a house where I don't particular care if any brats get into it and I MIGHT use it as a dumping ground for old food."

 

"... fresh made is old now?"

 

"Sans?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Shut the fuck up."

 

Sans chuckled softly, eyes closing. "Love you too."

 

Grillby snorted but gave Sans an small kiss on his way out, paying no mind to the dusty and torn lab coat lying on the floor as he stepped over it.

 

Life is good.

 


	2. Of things gained and lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... I just had a thought of continuing the story so... Welp here it is. You get more of Underfell!Grillby's past. Also some flame-on-bones action. It is still sfw thou. I just really wanted to write this?
> 
> Anyway have fun with this. Maybe I'll continue this further idk yet.

 

If you were to believe the king and the propaganda coming from New Home, the Underground was supposed to be harsh and hard, a forge where only the strong monster would emerge out as hard and strong soldiers and where the weak ones would perish rightfully in the flames. The Underground was supposed to be kill or be killed, a chase for LOVE and stats, for resources and the right to live. The Underground was supposed to be the place where the monster would get strong enough to one day emerge and destroy the humans that had banished them.

 

And all of that was the greatest bullshit Grillby had ever heard. He turned on the radio sometimes just to sneer at the old king. The ancient ruler was a fool and nothing more. A coward who hid behind thick walls and his hate for the ones that hurt all of them and who honestly thought he could change what monster were in their core:

 

Compassion, love and magic.

 

Asgore tried to eliminate the former two with his little brainwashing. Grillby wondered not for the first time just how insane their monarch had become. One couldn't just change monster like that. You could make them more aggressive, you could put them under stress, you can push and shove them and maybe get some results... but in their core, monster would always stay the same.

 

And monster strife for love and affection, for compassion and acts of kindness. They needed friendships, family, love and bounds with each other. Monster needed this to live... literally.

 

And Asgore, the old fool, even tried once to kill all monster with a green soul, believing the trait was passed on from parent to child... he only succeeded to kill off all of the higher plant elementals, most of the lesser ones, many, many other elementals and countless other monster families that he deemed either not loyal enough or to prone to produce green souls. The result was only that there were no healers for a generation... before new green souls popped up and families hiding the trait of their children, monster starting to mask their magic in the red tint of determination, like the humans had used it.

 

And Asgore, the fool, thought it to be an intimidation strategy! Well, maybe it had started out as one... Grillby remembered teaching his children the way to mask their magic, to let it appear all red and scary to surprise other monster and have a chance to run away. He didn't invent it, of course, but he helped spreading the trend, he guessed. Some of his charges were green souls that had to learn the trick as fast as possible.

 

Now Asgore would sometimes let his guard sweep parts of Hotland and New Home at random, dragging anybody suspected of being a green soul to his palace... Grillby had heard terrible rumors about this place and hoped all of them were wrong. Luckily, things were more quiet here in Snowdin and Waterfall was to big and dark to be under the full control of Asgore anyway. So there were safe spaces, more or less.

 

So monster only became good at acting. Fooling their king and themselves into thinking they were something they weren't, that the desire they had was a different one that they should have had.

 

Love or LOVE.

 

And well, Grillby knew exactly which he preferred any day.

 

It was dark in his bedroom. His purple flames weren't very useful for lightening up the surrounding, but that didn't really matter. Even in pitch-darkness, he would have been able to make out the strong bones and smooth curves and angles of the skeleton laying beside him, arms around his middle and head nuzzled into Grillby's chest.

 

Sans was sleeping still and Grillby really wasn't surprised. It was the middle of the night after all and they had a few... exhausting weeks behind them. But that really didn't matter either now. What mattered was that he could feel the soft pulse of magic coming from the skeleton, the soft and cool feeling of patience and the small tingle of justice that made up most of Sans's magic that was flowing like small waves from the unseen core of the monster through his bones. Where bone met fire Grillby's flames intermingled with the familiar magic, creating a small buzz that was just... pleasant.

 

Grillby wrapped his arm a little more around his sleeping partner, enjoying this little moment. Really, this was what all of this should be about. Quiet moments, feeling love and be loved, feeling peace and happiness, calmness and content. Not... not whatever Asgore wanted.

 

Sans begun to stir in his hold and Grillby moved his head down, pressing a small kiss to the forehead of the skeleton and Sans's magic activated fully, a soft shine of blue and yellow before it was overtaken by red.

 

"Hm...?" Sans yawned out and Grillby chuckled. He enjoyed the relaxed look on Sans's face. His flames were reflecting a bit in Sans's golden tooth as the smile of the skeleton widened slightly.

 

"Morning, hotstuff...", he mumbled and Grillby was to mellow now to groan at the lame pun. Sans just yawned again. "Do we..."

 

"Shh..", made Grillby, hand slowly petting over Sans's skull, slowly down towards the base and a bit further where he could feel the first of the cervical vertebrae. He let a bit of his heat seep into Sans, marveling at how further the skeleton relaxed at this simple act with a soft mewl. "It's still early.", whispered Grillby.

 

"What do you do all awake then?", mumbled Sans.

 

"Watching you."

 

"Creep."

 

Grillby chuckled softly. "You think so?"

 

Sans blinked and actually seemed to think about this. "Nah. Not really. Besides, I'm kinda into this."

 

"We both can be creeps."

 

Sans snorted. "Sure. You would be the bigger one."

 

Grillby felt laughter bubble up his chest like boiling lava and it felt... nice. He still lowered his head, hiding his chuckles in the neck of the little skeleton. Something about this set off Sans too and in the end, they were laughing together, holding each other while doing so, being totally ridiculous and soft and weak in each others embrace but feeling better, so much better, for just doing this together.

 

The king was a fool, thought Grillby. To deny himself, to deny anybody, this simple pleasure... This sad and stupid and pitiful and terrible fool. Monster were made for love, not LOVE.

 

Grillby couldn't imagine willfully rejecting this. He was now tracing Sans's vertebra again, starting with the cervical ones and slowly making his way down, letting his purple flames tint the bones with his color, mingle with Sans's magic. Sans kept making little noises, little humms and mumbles and the soft click of bone against bone whenever he moved. How could anybody reject this?

 

"G...Grillby..." Sans panted out, voice heavy with things that made Grillby's flames sing and shiver. He leaned down fully, almost hiding the skeleton completely from the world, engulfing him in his warm flames and magic. He kissed him, gently, slowly, letting his magic and intent speak for itself.

 

Love, devotion, compassing, trust. Sans gasped into the kiss as Grillby pulled him closer, as close as possible. They didn't need to share souls for this, for Grillby being able to show Sans what he was feeling, what he wanted to let Sans know.

 

No, the king was a pitiful fool to not let himself have something like this. This glory of feeling magic intermingling, of a pulse close to his own, of little mumbles and secrets between two soul in sync with each other. The deep, deep feeling of complete trust between two beings that simply are in love.

 

Grillby moved his head slowly down the side of Sans's head, leaving a trail of heat and flickering purple soot as he kissed the bone gently until he reached one of Sans clavicle. He didn't bite, not really in the mood for anything forceful. They could maybe play with other feelings and sensations later. Today and in the moment, Grillby wanted to just spoil his love a little.

 

There was a spark of gentle magic as Sans wrapped his arms more around him, bone-y fingers glowing blue digging into his flames. Grillby hummed at the sensation, enjoying the buzz of the magic and the feeling of pleasure and happiness that were carried over.

 

There weren't really words needed. Magic reacted with intent and all Grillby could feel was Sans's pleasure and love and he poured his own into the magic he let loose to travel along Sans's spine in turn. There was a gasp and a broken sounding mourn and Grillby held him closer, could feel Sans's magic pulling him in too.

 

This was bliss, this was perfection. Sure, they never shared souls or even melted but Grillby was sure that it couldn't be that much better than as it was right now, both of them closer than close, his flames sinking a bit into Sans's bones and Sans's arms sinking into his torso. He never wanted to let go ever again.

 

And later, Sans had fallen asleep again and Grillby not that far from it too, purple glow still on Sans's bones and blue and yellow running through Grillby's flames, Grillby thought about that nobody was more fortunate than him and nobody more miserable than the lonely king of this forsaken mountain.

 

 

 

 

This king was a fool, thought Grillby again as he sat in his house (NOT ORPHANAGE!) to bring food to the children (URGH who was he kidding even?). Today Sans was with him, helping him getting some to everybody. It was rather endearing watching Sans sit among some bunny and bear children, grinning and showing them tricks with a coin and some cards.

 

After the botched kidnapping a few weeks earlier they all had a long... talk. Sans, Papyrus and Grillby. Sans could have gone into hiding but really didn't want to leave his life behind, just like Grillby thought he would be. Papyrus had argued for it for a while, bringing up the protection Grillby would provide for him and all the good he still could do out of sight but Sans was relentless and in the end, it was his choice that Grillby respected. He had just asked in turn that Sans would spend more time with him.

 

Sans agreed readily with this and started following Grillby as much as possible, the trips to the house Grillby kept insisting wasn't an orphanage included. Sometimes Grillby thought Sans had way to much fun with this.

 

Papyrus on the other hand was a bit miffed by Sans's decision to stay visible but in the end took it as a motivation to keep Snowdin even more safe for Sans.

 

And well, he took it on itself to try and reach an understanding with Undyne about something that was starting to take form in Grillby's mind for a while now.

 

Fact is, orphanage or not, Grillby had cared for a lot of children. Children and children's children, all of them raised and taught with the believes of the fire elementals. Teachings of love and mercy if possible and the iron will to do everything for the people that are beloved. They were hidden and masked but there are plenty of them. And Grillby had sat down one afternoon with Sans, going through his hidden archives where he had collected journals on all the children he cared for. Some of them were old, several hundred years in total, some of them more recent. Most of the charges Grillby once had were long gone of course, but a lot were still alive or their descendants still around. Most of them had kept the old fire elemental in mind that had showed them kindness.

 

An afternoon turned into a week in the end, fond memories and flashbacks to bitter tears whenever an empty, dusty striped shirt was found. Sans had looked so surprised when Grillby had cried over an particular old journal of a plant elementar Grillby had tried so hard to save. In the end, they had died due to a fatal sickness with no healer nearby to help.

 

It was so strange seeing Grillby cry, showing weakness at all. Sans had felt like intruding or seeing something he wasn't supposed to. But to be honest, Grillby hadn't minded, cursing at Asgore in his head all anew again. Curse him to all the hells above and down in the ground.

 

At least all of this got them some new insights: There was maybe good a fourth of the population of the Underground one way or another connected to Grillby's shelter in Snowdin. That was... a lot of monster. Even if only a tenth of them kept his values and believes, it would outnumber the royal army.

 

It was a strange idea, a spark like that popped up in Sans's eyes just as it did in Grillby's head.

 

"... we could overthrow Asgore with this many people."

 

There was a look, a frown, a nod. It was a stupid idea still, a wild idea...

 

But an idea that took root in Grillby like a willow tree. He could almost hear the voice of a beloved he lost, kind eyes and bright soul, whispering to him like they had used to. That he could do it. That he could really do it, that nobody had ever know the pain he had again, that nobody would have to hide again and fight and suffer from this idiotic idea of the old fool.

 

He could do right by them. He could do right by Sans finally too.

 

It was a stupid and dangerous thought but so intriguing and Sans had it too.

 

They could really do this.

 

"We should." said Grillby, closing the journals, looking over the witnesses of years of love and laughs and tears. "We will."

 

That was where Papyrus came into the plan that was slowly forming in Grillby's mind. And here he thought he would never have to use battle strategy again. Well, with some luck there wouldn't be a battle at all. The Underground has seen enough dust, he didn't particular want to add some more to it.

 

No, Papyrus had the very important job on being a... connection. Of finding the few good ones in Asgore's lines that would see reason and be loyal to monsterkin, not to the king. He did recommenced Undyne, with her being loyal to principles, not to orders and one of the strongest generals in the army. Some rumors said she had good connections to an other veteran that survived the war, Gerson who nowadays hid away in Waterfall, rejecting any form of interaction with society if not needed.

 

Grillby hadn't seen him in hundreds of years, he kinda wondered how he was even alive. Elementals stopped aging at some point but Turtles... they get old and stay old for a very long time.

 

An other very interesting connection is to the royal scientist who stole the position from the former one. A lizard monster with the name of Alphys. She had gotten the position after the creation of a human killing robot, something Asgore took more interest in than the soul- and mutation projects Gaster had going on at that time.

 

Grillby wondered for a moment if that decision was made out of the last remains of Asgore's morals and pity with the orphans used and abused for Gasters project, or if the King was simply more interested in an army of robots, built without mercy and without the need for sleep and food or love.

 

Anyway, Gaster was out, with him his disturbing work. Grillby's informants had dug up more and more about him after Sans's rescue and Grillby felt a bit regret of ending the deranged scientist's life so swiftly. To think he had even considered letting him go should he have cooperated and handed Sans over without a fuss...

 

Well, what was done is done and Grillby didn't regret the additional LOVE to his soul one bit. He held enough love for the monster around him to keep him still safe and sane.

 

Anyway, with Alphys on their side... there were so many possibilities. The royal scientist, the royal guard and army... and on top of that a good part of the population... maybe some would join them if it would seem that they had the best cards of winning this damned game.

 

Grillby paused when the thought entered his mind. Since when did he think of this as a game?

 

"Hey-ya Grillby? Grills? Incredible hot flame and light of my life?"

 

Grillby blinked and turned around to stare at Sans who was grinning at him, magic flickering deep red in his eye socket.

 

"Did you just call me... Grills?"

 

"What, THAT is the thing you ask me about?", asked Sans with a laugh. "Not my incredible double pun?"

 

"You always do incredible puns, I am more confused by the... other thing.", huffed Grillby.

 

Sans shrugged. "Eh, you looked spaced out, I just tried some things and see when you would react."

 

Grillby just made a little huff sound again, knowing that his flames went white at places and Sans just laughed. This was ridiculous but he kinda was glad about the distraction.

 

"So, what got ya head all twisted?", asked Sans, sitting down beside Grillby. The children weren't around anymore, Sans most likely had send them off to play together somewhere else. As long as they were in the house they were safe. Everybody in Snowdin knew not to mess with Grillby's stuff or children in general. Papyrus's wrath was just as feared as the one of the flame.

 

"Thoughts.", said Grillby.

 

"Thoughts?"

 

"Maybe the future.", mumbled Grillby. "Maybe something else... a lot of things."

 

"So Ass-gore is ghosting around your mind now?", chuckled Sans and Grillby had to laugh a bit too at that.

 

"Heh, I gotta remember that one.", mumbled Grillby. "It is kinda surreal thinking what we could do."

 

"Welp, I sure hope so.", mumbled Sans, looking forward into the general direction where the children could be heard. "Would be nice to see the little ones playing... you know... outside and stuff."

 

"At least you see sometimes kids here in Snowdin.", mumbled Grillby. "Papyrus did his job really well here... there are no children visible in Hotland or New Home."

 

"You really like the little brats huh?", mumbled Sans.

 

"You know my stance on this."

 

"Children are precious and a blessing, huh?", mumbled Sans, repeating what Grillby told and taught each and every child he ever cared for. "That so?"

 

"In the old days, yes.", said Grillby. "For elementals even more so. Children are so rare but also a proof of the love and devotion in a union. A whole new life you are responsible for... the future literally in your hands." Grillby trailed off at the end of his little speech and Sans looked at him in concern.

 

"Grillby? ... did you ever had some of your own?"

 

It was a sensitive topic, Sans knew that. And he could see it too, the way Grillby stiffened at the question before relaxing and shaking his head.

 

"I never did.", he said softly. "I think I would have, before the war..."

 

"You had a partner?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Are they..."

 

"Humans killed them. I killed the humans back."

 

"Oh.", said Sans softly, patting Grillby awkwardly.

 

"... you would have liked him.", said Grillby suddenly, turning to Sans to give him a soft look. "And he you, I am sure."

 

"Heh, knowing you, he would have been awesome.",chuckled Sans.

 

"He was... gentle.", said Grillby softly. "A very gentle soul. He never would have hurt anybody." Grillby sighed. "Maybe... it's good that he never had to see a place like this. He would have hated it. Or no, he would mostly be just disappointed and sad..." Disappointed mostly in Grillby, that is... disappointed that Grillby grew tired and let all of this happened, disappointed of him killing humans, joining the army, looking on as Asgore got worse and worse, as the Underground got worse and worse...

 

"Well... we gonna change it then?" said Sans slowly. "Like... we'll get rid of the old bastard on the throne, we gonna... heck, we gonna save the Underground or shit. And well... you know... for your... your guy in the past too." Sans paused at that, looking at him as if he was testing some unseen line between them.

 

Grillby didn't knew if he should be laughing or crying. In this moment he felt a bit like both. He settled on a small chuckle and a low flicker of his flames and a pat on Sans's shoulder. "Wherever his soul went... I am sure he would like that a lot.", he said quietly and Sans beamed at him as if he just accomplished the greatest victory of them all.

 

 

Later that night Grillby thought about children again. And some what if's and the paths he never walked.

 

In the end he gave up. The past is the past. He couldn't grief a child that never was or a life that wasn't even his by a far shot. He had lost a lot of things and they were gone. There were things he had now. A bar in a snowy town, a house full of children, a beloved in his arms and a plan to overthrow the king.

 

Things could be worse, he supposed. He felt a skull pressing against his neck gently, teeth softly pressing into his flames and a spark of magic intermixing with his own in a gentle kiss. Grillby grinned slightly at the sensation, turning a bit to return the soft gesture.

 

Well, scratch that. Things were pretty great right now.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case somebody is asking: My interpretation of monster "biology" is... that Skeletons or elementals like flames don't really have any. So no flame dicks or glowing junk out of magic. Sorry if that was something anybody had hoped to get out of this.


	3. Of complications and easy exceptions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is pondering about his life, the complications of it and the easy things. 
> 
> Also there is a trip to the ruins and a skeleton and a flame very much in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I still kinda writing this? I don't know? I just wanted to show some of Sans's side of this thing and well... apparently there is kinda a plot now. There might be more. Who knows?

 

Of course, things were never easy. Nothing ever was and Sans was somebody who knew this very very well. His life was so full of twists and turns and complicated stuff that he was honestly surprised when things went smoothly for him for once.

 

His childhood was complicated, his relationship to his brother was not easy (filling in roles of caretaker and being taken care of and being a brother, authority figure, friend and all of a family in one), getting by as a teen was strange and weird, being an adult was hard but somehow better, getting a job, getting a real place to live, getting money and food was a fight all along. And don't get him started on staying alive at some times.

 

So far the only easy thing he ever had was Grillby.

 

He didn't know why but the purple flames was really... uncomplicated about things. He didn't made a fuss when he and Papyrus wouldn't join the merry clutter of children in the unofficial orphanage but showed up for food and shelter some times. He didn't said anything when Sans came to his bar, finally out of stripes, for a drink. He agreed that Sans could set up a tap and made some simple rules. He seemed to appreciate that Sans would sometimes calm everybody the fuck down in the bar or would throw out monster who were disturbing the strange kind of peace that was upheld inside the building.

 

Falling in love with Grillby was... strangely not complicated either. It came slowly first and then it clicked into place and all Sans thought at that moment was just "oh."

After that he just ordered his usual and smiled at Grillby like always as the flame rolled his eyes in good nature at his eating habits.

 

Actually like getting it on with him was kinda the result of him being kidnapped and Grillby rushing to his rescue but all in all it was kinda clean-cut too. Declaration of intent, a mutual understanding and bam, he had an incredible partner, just like that.

 

Certainly not like he had imagined it being at first, with lots of twists and turns and misunderstandings and maybe a slap from Grillby and the order to never come back to his bar... (okay that last one was kinda unlikely but nobody could fault Sans for panicking a bit when he had time to let it sink in just who he loved.) But no, Grillby kinda made it very easy after he rescued him.

 

He had thought being in an relationship would be complicated. And in a way it was but it also wasn't.

 

Sure there were... clashes. They were a skeleton and a fire elemental, of course there were differences in their upbringing, experiences and all around approach to life. But they had things in common too and Grillby was... surprisingly nice.

 

He was protective and sometimes a tiny bit overbearing but Sans could excuse that, mostly. After being knocked out and woken up in a cage with Gaster looking down at him... well he sure didn't had the best dreams after that. Grillby sleeping close or in the same bed with him was an surprisingly good remedy. Sensing warm arms around him filled Sans with something like ease and content. On top of that, feeling... desired and protected was kinda nice.

He put his foot down at going into full hiding however. He would simply go crazy if he couldn't stretch his legs or if he had to give up his life so far and he could take care of himself. He was thankful that Grillby accepted that. A lot.

 

Still, things mostly were... easy. Grillby was not stingy with affection, be it verbal or non-verbal and Sans soaked it all up like a sponge. Grillby also was all warm and cuddly and there wasn't a single thing better than cuddling with a flame when it was cold as ass outside. And nobody dared to say a word about Grillby hugging him or wrapping an arm around him when they walked somewhere through Snowdin's cold.

He did tone it down a bit in public of course but also didn't hide the fact that they were partners. And nobody so far had challenged him on his choice.

Even Papyrus accepted the union, nodding slowly and congratulating Sans for finding a partner and a good match to boot.

 

Another thing that was a bit strange was how... gentle Grillby really was. In their world of kill or be killed and with Grillby being one of the most powerful monster to be alive (at least as far as Sans could tell), it was a bit startling to Sans to see just how gentle and careful the flame was. There was never aggression in his gestures. Really, everything and anything Sans had expected from this, it wasn't.

 

Grillby didn't "claim" him, didn't own him, didn't dominate him or made him do anything Sans didn't said he wanted. His kisses were gentle and loving, his embraces strong but would break easy as soon as Sans wanted them to break, his touches in general were careful and light. He would ask Sans for permission before doing anything that was new and even sometimes with old stuff. He always gave Sans a moment to refuse and, most strange of all, never asked for reasons or tried to change his mind when Sans did refuse him.

Sure, Grillby had needs and he voiced them but he also listened to Sans's own, always willing to make a compromise for the sake of both of them. He never tried to overwhelm Sans, to control him or get what he wanted because of his experience.

 

And he could have, easily. Even if you leave stats out of it, Grillby was intimidating. Hot purple flames and a body a lot taller than Sans's own. When they cuddle it was the most obvious. Grillby's body could swallow him up fully. If he wanted to, the flame could hide Sans completely from the world and to be honest, sometimes Sans really liked that feeling. But he never once so far had used his strength or height to make Sans do... anything really. His strength and height and stats were just that, attributes of him that he didn't bring into the game, even when they had an argument about something.

 

And then there was his voice and way with words. Sometimes Grillby whispered to him. Soft words of awe and wonder and praise. Sometimes there were promises too. To be there for him whenever he needed him. To support him. To offer protection whenever Sans would need it.

The words of the flame, whispered full of affection and admiration would leave Sans feeling strange, flustered and very very happy. And it was still strange hearing them from a flame that could curse up a storm and once had killed five monster in his bar without a spec of remorse (to be fair they had injured one of the bunny-children and maybe being burned to dust was still the better option than what Papyrus had had in store for them.)

 

In short, Grillby was gentle and soft with him but not because he thought he was weak but... Grillby described it as a form of showing respect and it really seemed like that for Sans too. Grillby's words and actions didn't seem condescending but felt like it came from Grillby's soul. Well... it made Sans feel a whole lot appreciated.

Like his words mattered. If he said no it meant no, if he said yes, it was a yes. It were simple things like that that just... felt kinda incredible after the life Sans had had up until that point. It made him feel taken seriously.

 

He had heard some of the fantasies some other monster had of the old flame. (and all of them most ridiculous seeing that flames don't tend to find casual relationships at all satisfying and ALSO considering that flames lack a lot of the... "equipment" to do even half of that stuff people speculated about) and he could say with a good degree of certainty that nobody knew Grillby very well, apparently.

Grillby didn't seek thrill in his love life, he didn't want to gain power or dominance, nor wanted he to conquer another monster, bending or even breaking something. As far as Sans knew now, Grillby would be more horrified by such notions.

 

For the purple flame power, dominance or even urges other monster could feel was of no appeal, as he had explained to Sans. He really just wanted to... love and receive love in return. Freely given, not taken. Sans wondered if that was the way for flames in general (the old ways, as Grillby called it) or if it was just a thing that was special to Grillby. It didn't really matter in the end but Sans still kinda wondered if the world would have been a better place if more people shared the views of the flame.

 

Or better yet, a world that was not kill or be killed, but a world full of love and trust and don't kill and don't be killed.

 

With Grillby, it was easy to dream of such a world.

 

 

 

Thing is, as life goes, things could go south still every minute.

 

Things did go south a little bit from time to time.

 

The king was not as big as a fool as Grillby liked to think. He did have spies, he did have lots of monster really believing in what he told them. He had devoted and loyal monster following him and others that aren't that loyal to him but enjoyed the power his present granted them.

And then there were some left-over followers of Gaster. Sans couldn't remember their name at this point but he knew he caused them to lose everything because Grillby dusted their fucking role model.

 

So Sans was ambushed, again, but this time Sans wouldn't go down without a fight. Last time they were more people and better organized, this time it kinda felt like a rush job.

 

There were five of them, two bear monster, two lizard monster and a bird monster. Sans snorted as he saw them. Lizards fighting in Snowdin, how stupid. The fight didn't take long but was loud and flashy and when Sans finished with them (none of them dusted, just knocked out and laying in the snow and Sans was trying to figure out what to do now) Grillby came already running to him, purple flames bright and white at places.

 

"Sans! Sans, what the fuck..." He trailed off when he saw the monster in the snow and felt the left-overs of magic in the air.

 

"I'm alright.", Sans said softly, looking around. "Just some thugs."

 

Grillby nodded slowly, a startling amount of respect and even pride in his eyes as he looked over the downed monster. Sans grinned a bit more at him, soul fluttering a tiny bit, It was one thing knowing you could dunk five people jumping on you to the ground. It was another thing when your partner looked at you in amazement when you did.

 

The problems came when they had to decide what to do with them. Sans was surprised how reluctant Grillby seemed to the idea of finishing them of. He had seen him kill others mercilessly after all and he knew Grillby's LOVE was pretty high.

On the other hand... he knew Grillby didn't enjoy killing and most of the killings Sans had seen happened in the heat of the battle, not like this. Maybe it wasn't that surprising, all things considered.

But the question remained what to do with them. Should they let them go and let them tell King Asgore about everything? Or lock them up, potentially give them even more information before they could get to the deranged king? The only place they could put them was in the old house/orphanage and Grillby refused putting children in danger like this.

 

"Hmm... can't let them run, can keep them here.", mumbled Sans before grinning, golden tooth gleaming. "I think I got a solution for this."

 

 

The solution, it turned out, were the ruins.

 

Sans grinned a bit at Grillby's dumbfounded expression when he knocked against the big stone door that lead to the sealed off ruins of Home. He looked even more shocked when a voice answered.

 

"Who is there?"

 

"Adore."

 

"Adore who?"

 

"There's a door between us, can you open it?"

 

There was a bleaking laugh coming from the door and Sans giggled a bit to himself too. After all this time, he still got it.

 

"No, really, my friend, what do you want?"

 

"I want you to open the door for real-sies.", said Sans lazily. "We gotta talk. I got my...", he hesitated for a moment before continuing. "I got my partner here and we got a bundle of guys we can't hide, kill or let to run and well, we got an offer for you."

 

"An offer?", asked the voice, sounding serious.

 

"Yeah. Say, mysterious woman... what do you think of the King of all monster?"

 

 

 

The answer was "I think he is an asshat." and that sold her to Grillby. Sans had chuckled softly while Grillby had raved through the door about Asgore to Toriel. When they had started to trade their favorite insults to the king, Sans knew he did a good thing. They would get along wonderfully.

 

Toriel, no, Queen Toriel, opened the door for the first time in a very long time to them. They had tea and cookies in her little home, their “guests” safely stored away in one of her unused rooms while Grillby and Sans took turns to explain their plans to her.

She in turn told them her story too. All in all it was not that unexpected. Dead children and a deranged husband, bend on destruction and hate and on hurting everybody around himself because he was hurt too. And she, the queen, who took the body of the dead human and ran with it, ran with a few selective members of her staff and ran to the ruins to keep them safe from what Asgore unleashed at the Underground. The ruins were peaceful under her reign, even if the few humans that fell down had to go in the end.

 

Toriel knew all their names, their habits, their faces. She kept their pictures and memories. She had made gravestones for each of them. There was a lot of sorrow in her voice when she talked about them and Sans knew it was a touchy subject so he didn't ask anymore questions. Grillby stayed mostly silent too.

 

Sans never met a human but the king made them sound like beasts bend on destroying all of monster kind. Toriel made them sound like lost children. She also cursed Asgore with all her soul when she led them to the graves, tears in her eyes but steal and fire in her voice.

 

Another thing she and Grillby had in common apparently.

Sans took a step back when they both started at the graves of the dead humans, when he noticed the look in Grillby's eyes and when he heard him starting to talk softly about his own loss. They were talking about the old days, the old ways. They were talking about things they lost. A beloved partner, beloved children, a husband, a future, a promise and a lot of hope.

 

Sans let them grief together for the moment, staying closer to the house so he could see them and hear them talking but not anymore about what exactly.

He never had much so he hadn't had much to loose in his life. There was only Papyrus for a long, long time. Nowadays the number of things important to him seemed to raise steadily. He just hoped this number would never fall.

 

When Grillby and Toriel returned they were both looking calmer and Sans felt himself grinning lazily at them, moving the conversation back to why they came in the first place.

 

The queen finally agreed to keep the five monster in the ruins, housing them with kindness but a stern eye. Maybe she would even show them a different way of life, thought Sans when they made to leave the ruins. The queen also agreed in helping their little cause.

 

When they left the big stone door behind them and were back on the snowy path through the forest, Grillby looked at Sans with something like awe in his eyes and Sans felt himself grinning. Grillby might be old, have lots of contacts and favors from all sorts of people... but Sans was far from useless in that regard. When the queen was your pun-pale (and sometimes rant-partner) you kinda move up a bit on the list of people with influence, right? Knowing this made Sans feel pretty much smug.

 

Also it kinda rocked that his partner and his best friend got along well. Another thing that was just easy with Grillby.

 

The Underground would fall to chaos, maybe. Probably sooner than later. It was all a complicated mess of anger and guilt and rage and fear. And maybe a bit of hope and dreams and the desire for a brighter future. Everything will so fucking suck really soon. It will be difficult and hard and Sans was not looking forward to that part at all.

 

But there will be at least one easy thing for Sans. He smiled when he stepped on his toes to hug Grillby properly, burring his face into the nice coat of his partner. He could feel a kiss on his forehead, a gentle warmth and the soft flutter of magic around him.

 

There was adoration, affection, happiness and love. But for Sans, in this moment, it was just... easy.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grillby and Toriel could be BFFs, you know it.


	4. Why we change and stay the same

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things continue to go on. Some things change. Some things stay the same. And some things change AND stay the same all at once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everybody who commented, liked, gave kudos or reblogged this. :D I am still a bit unsure where this is going but I starting to have a bit of an plan on what I am doing here.   
> Still I hope you all still enjoy this little Sansby story that kinda got a plot now.

If somebody had asked Grillby before the war if he would ever plan to stage a coup against the king of all monster, he would have laughed. If somebody had asked Grillby before the war if he would take part in a revolution against a tyrant he would have said yes.

 

If asked after the war, Grillby would have declined.

 

"You know..." said Sans, looking over a blueprint of the palace. "This really isn't how I had pictured my future."

 

"What, planning to remove the king from the throne?" asked Grillby as he looked over their list of supplies and what kind of people they had on their side. It was not quite enough for a storm on the castle but there weren't that many pieces missing.

 

"Well, more like having a hot boyfriend." Sans winked.

 

"Sans..."

 

"But yeah that too. I mean... why now? It had been bad before."

 

"Opportunity and Motivation." said Grillby and shrugged.

 

"Huh?" Sans blinked and stood up straight, abandoning their maps and lists for now.

 

"I never had an opportunity like this.” Grillby explained, shrugging again. “Now we got the support of a good part of the royal guard, a whole town, my extensive network, the queen, maybe even the old general Gerson if you manage to get him on board... I wouldn't have had a chance like this before."

 

"Makes sense.” Sans said slowly. “What about motivation?"

 

Grillby sighed. "After the war I lost a lot of hope. Everything just seemed... devoid of meaning. There was no stars, no sun, no hope for us to see the surface again. My home was destroyed, my love was slain and I already took my revenge and guess the fuck what, it didn't help one bit. Felt nice for a moment but then I didn't had anything to do anymore. So I gave up, plane and simple. My life was going to shit so I didn't care if anybody else went that way too."

 

It felt strangely freeing to admit that to Sans. His partner surely thought he always was openly opposed to Asgore like he was now... this was surely a hit against that picture, but on the other hand, he really shouldn't lie about himself... _to_ himself _or_ to Sans.

 

"Doesn't sound much like you." said Sans with a shrug. “You make yourself out as an awful character there.”

 

"I never said I was a good monster." Grillby said gently.

 

"Good enough for me. And you know, for others." said Sans, counting on his fingers. "Saving a bunch of children, helping keeping peace in Snowdin, helping protect some healers... and you know, coming for me when Gaster decided to be a huge creep?"

 

"Most of them were selfish." pointed Grillby out. "I can't see children die or suffer, it's my upbringing. And I decided to help you because you mean something to me."

 

"Would you have come for me if we were strangers?"

 

"I wouldn't have even known you were gone, you dolt."

 

Sans chuckled. "Well, I appreciate that you decided to be selfish anyway. But yeah, what got that to do with your motivation?"

 

"I got one now." sighed Grillby. "I can't continue like before. Like every day means shit. I gotta think about the future. Of you, the kids, other people..."

 

"... so you wanna make a better future for me?"

 

"... in a way?"

 

"You do know that is typical newly-parent behavior? Like... My child is coming, I gotta tidy up the world a bit for them and clean up this mess!"

 

"Well..."

 

"What, you were thinking children?"

 

"No... Well, not like you think."

 

"You were totally thinking of little bone-and-flame children." grinned Sans. "Tiny skeletons with purple flames for heads."

 

"Sans.."

 

"How should we name them? Bonefires?"

 

"Sans."

 

"If they are more skeleton than flame, can we still use font names? I think Arial is a nice name. Or Roman..."

 

"Sans!"

 

"If they are more flame... what do flames name their kids traditionally?"

 

"... after their flame color."

 

"What kind of color is "Grillby?"

 

"My parents were non-conformist."

 

Sans laughed at that and after a moment, Grillby joined in too. It felt nice to laugh, something Sans could make him do without barely an effort. It was refreshing and elevating each time and a reason more why Grillby admired the skeleton so much.

 

A reason more why he worried so much when Sans disappeared. A reason more why he just had to get Sans back.

 

"But seriously...", chuckled Sans after a while. "Why now? I won't be so self-absorbed to think it's for me."

 

"... it kinda is." admitted Grillby. "Having... a sense and hope for a future again makes me want to make it better."

 

"Really now?"

 

Grillby shrugged. "You inspire me."

 

"I couldn't inspire myself out of a wet paper-bag. I eat mustard straight out of the bottle and was like a step away from substance abuse if you hadn't told me to leave that shit alone." Sans pointed out.

 

"I think you sell yourself to short." huffed Grillby. "You inspired Papyrus to become the person he is today. You inspired a lot of people to stay the fuck calm in my bar."

 

"Filling them with the fear of the gods is not inspiring, Grillby."

 

"AND..." continued Grillby, as if he hadn't heard him. "You inspired me. To be a better person, to wake the fuck up, and do something instead of feeling sorry for myself."

 

Sans blinked at the declaration, a tiny hint of magic dusting his cheeks as he looked away, looking touched and slightly embarrassed. In Grillby's humble opinion, he looked cute as fuck.

 

"Wow.. uh.. you... sure know how to talk up a guy."

 

Grillby chuckled softly, pressing a kiss to Sans's forehead.

 

"No, Sans. I just got a knack for telling the truth."

 

 

 

 

 

Their plans came together slowly. There was still a lot to do but they made progress. (It was still something that made Sans's head spin. They had plans. Plans to... revolt? Remove the king? And they were actually coming together!)

 

Grillby's gang was hard at work, scouting out more monster that were willing to help (some of Grillby's and their descendants, who fell out of contact and some who they thought would be sympathetic to their cause). They also worked on making lists after lists, what they still needed and where to get it. They were trying to get some spies inside the castle and, on Sans's suggestion, worked on securing control over important stuff like food-lines and information distribution.

 

It would be good to have that robot on their side, but Grillby didn't trust Mettaton one bit and Sans didn't want to take a gamble either.

 

But he wasn't the only one they had on their list.

 

There was talk about the owner of a bakery in Hotland having a pretty nice network of spies all around New Home and, of course, there was Gerson who was living in Waterfalls.

 

It just had to be Waterfalls, thought Sans annoyed as he made a face at the murky wetlands in front of him.

On top of that he wasn't alone in this. Undyne was with him right now, navigating him through the wet darkness. According to her it was better if they went together.

 

"You know..." she started as they took a turn off the roads over a shallow patch of dark water and growing water plants. "General Gerson was kinda my hero when I was a little one." She huffed. "He taught me how to fight. He said one day I could take on the king if I would just try."

 

"Kinda dangerous filling a kid with that kind of ideas, huh?" said Sans while trying to avoid getting stuff stuck in between his bones. It was more difficult than he thought.

 

"Yeah, kinda ridiculous. I was 10 when I outgrew the "I gonna kick King Asgore's butt" phase."

 

"Kinda ironic that we are going to make that one true, huh?"

 

"Yeah. Kinda is.” mumbled Undyne. “So... who else do you gonna get in on it after Gerson?”

 

“Eh, we have some options.” Sans shrugged. “Mettaton would be useful but..”

  
“I think he is trustworthy.” said Undyne, surprising Sans.

 

“Really? Why?”

 

“Uh...” Undyne hesitated. “Just... I know somebody who can vouch for him.”

 

“Really now? Who?”

 

“... Alphys.”

 

“The royal scientist? Really? How? How do you even know her?” asked Sans, really surprised now.

 

“I just do okay?” hissed Undyne. “And it's none of your business. But if you wanna have the rust bucket's support, you gonna talk to Alphys.”

 

“Maybe I will.” huffed Sans. “Or whatever.”

 

They walked a while in silence before Undyne spoke to Sans again. “So... I got one thing I want you to keep in mind when you really want to talk to Alphys."

 

"Huh? What?" asked Sans a bit surprised.

 

"Don't be to hard on Alphys, alright? I met her a few times, she isn't as... big as a jerk than many others. Me included."

 

Sans shrugged. "Eh, sure. Her becoming the royal scientist kinda canceled the plans of that creep that was way to interested in me and Papyrus. Her idea of robots sounded actually better than forcing monster to become some."

 

"Yeah... that." mumbled Undyne.

 

"We burn that bridge when we get there, okay? It really depends how much of the rumors are true and false."

 

"I was afraid you say that." huffed Undyne.

 

They were walking through the darker parts of Waterfalls and Sans kinda wished Grillby was with him here. The purple flame wouldn't be THAT good of a light source but it would have been SOMETHING.

 

Also, okay, Sans missed his partner. There. Maybe it was a bit clingy or some cliche bullshit about true love, but dammit he really did feel better every time the flame was around him.

 

Sadly, Grillby wasn't here, just Undyne in front of him and Sans just had to deal with it. With her AND Waterfalls. At least it was not Hotland, Sans thought when he stepped into a puddle and soaking his sneaker. In Hotland all kinda of crazy monster were running around, some of them twisted beyond reasoning by LOVE and the other half trying to survive.

 

Waterfalls was just wet and dark and the monster here lurked around, mistrusting but usually not attempting to murder you out-right. They were mostly just afraid, holding up a front of being all badass and scary but will leave you alone gladly as long as you do so too.

 

They crossed some more streams and followed a small path that finally took them to a little cave.

 

“So... you better park your bones here for a moment.” huffed Undyne, summoning one of her spears. “I'll get him out first.”

 

“Uh... why?”

 

“Because he will attack as soon as somebody gets to close to the entrance and even with Papyrus swearing you are some kind of master ninja dodger, I don't want to have the old flame dude on my ass when you bite the dust.” huffed Undyne. “So stay put and let me handle that.”

 

Sans shrugged. “Okay. Go ahead then.” he even took a step back and to the side, getting out of any kind of line of fire and even sat down for good measurement.

 

Undyne rolled her eye (maybe eyes, Sans never asked if she really had lost that other one under her eye-patch) and marched to the cave.

 

“GERSON YOU OLD SHELL I AM COMING IN!” she screamed and launched herself into the cave “SURPRISE TRAINING!”

 

There was a roar coming from inside. Magic flashed out and then there were some crashes and and the sound of something (probably expensive) breaking. Also it sounded for a moment like a piano was involved but Sans had no clue about that one. There were some more shouts and yeps and more flashes of magic. Some of Undynes spears came through the entrance and landed next to Sans, looking like something heavy had hit them and sent them flying like this.

 

All in all the mayhem only took about five minutes until it calmed down. There was one last crash and some flames licking out of the entrance and then there was silence.

 

There was silence for about five minutes. Sans carefully stood up, peeking to the cave. This was kinda unsettling to be honest. He was considering his options should they have dusted each other when he heard sharp laughter suddenly erupting from somewhere inside the cave. Sans relaxed a bit when he could make out TWO kinds of laughter.

 

So he came close to the entrance and peaked in.

 

The inside was what could only be described as a total battle zone. There was broken stuff all around and the leftovers of magical attacks like spears were still stuck in the walls and ceiling. And in the middle of it all there were Undyne and a gruff and old looking turtle monster, arm in arm and both their heads thrown back in laughter.

 

“Bwahahahaha!” made the turtle that could only be Gerson before letting go of Undyne. “That was a great fun! My my, you have grown so much you little fire cracker.”

 

“I'm a freaking fish you old soap box.” Undyne shoot back, still in the grips of laughter.

 

“So... fighting and casual insults are finished?” asked Sans slowly, feeling a bit itchy go get over this already. “Can we start talking now?”

 

“Oh so this is the guest you talked about huh?” said Gerson, looking over Sans. “It's been a while since I saw one of your kind.”

 

“Yeah, that's great.” huffed Sans. “I'm a rare breed and stuff.”

 

Gerson just nodded seriously. “Aaah, I remember, the humans slaughtered whole villages with skeletons and ghosts and ghouls... There were only a handful in the Underground when we got locked up here.”

 

“... so you really were alive during the war?” asked Sans slowly, interested.

 

“Oh and a while before that too.” chuckled Gerson. “Bwahahaha, what a time to be alive... the old time surely was a colorful time.”

 

Sans frowned a bit, not knowing what to make out of this.

 

“So... you know I am not here to listen to war stories, yeah?”

 

“Oh of course I know.” chuckled Gerson. “You are here because that prissy purple butt finally got his head on straight again.”

 

“You know Grillby?” asked Sans. And wait, prissy? There were not many people who dared calling Grillby prissy...

 

“Oh course I know him.” chuckled Gerson. “We served together in war. Was a real loner, all angry and about revenge and all that nonsense. Well many were like him. Many had lost important things before or during the war. Land, home, family, loved ones... he sure was a brave one, fighting humans as an elemental. But barely anything in him, you know? Things that drive people. He had nothing. Burning on anger and hate and it's kinda surprising he didn't just fall down after the end of it.” he chuckled out again when he noticed Sans's horrified expression. “Hey, I have seen it before. I think he doesn't quite remember me huh? People used to underestimate me. But I am always watching.” Gerson laughed again out loud and Sans looked to Undyne who only shrugged at him. “Yeah, I was always watching. Still do. I have waited for something to get him to find something that gives him some kind of drive and agenda again. I thought he had it when he started with the kids but I guess I was wrong.”

 

He started at Sans with an intensity that Sans really didn't like. He squirmed a bit under the gaze of the old turtle before finding his voice again.

 

“So... you know then about Grillby's uhm... offer?” Sans asked and Gerson turned fully to him.

 

“I think I do.” he said more seriously now. “And I just want to know why nobody had asked me sooner.” He laughed. “I think it's time that things get a bit more interesting under this darn rock again.”

 


	5. All hands on deck is still a few to short

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made. Sadly there are still some things that the little group needs to really get going.

 

Gerson was a... very interesting monster. Sans honestly didn't know what to think of him sometimes. He was loud and brash and made horrible jokes and laughed openly about them. He was the kind of monster Sans would like, but something was seriously off with that guy. Also some of his jokes were just bad. Not even the good kind of bad.

 

"...and then the old guy was standing there, butt-naked, screaming about who let the fucking beetles out of their cages." Gerson just finished one of his very long (and confusing) tales of the past, laughing fully at no doubt a very funny mental image. Sans just... couldn't.

 

"You mean... the King." He asked slowly, just to be sure. "Like... THE King. King Asgore. Crazy guy with a trident bent on spreading crazy all over the place. Also death. Don't forget death."

 

"Yeah." chuckled Gerson with a hint of something that could be nostalgia in his eyes. "That was him. Well before he went totally cookoo. Anyway, that little episode earned him the name of Fluffybuns." He laughed again but at least this time he got that nobody else was laughing. He stopped and looked around for a second. "Maybe you had to be there to really get it." He closed off with a small awkward shrug.

 

Sans really didn't want to imagine King Asgore's fluffy buns.

 

"Ass-gore indeed." said Grillby dryly and Sans really really wanted this day to end. The delivery and play-back to an earlier joke made Sans want to kiss Grillby, the subject of the joke made him want to light himself on fire and jump into the core. It evened out into a strong desire to hit his head on the table in front of him. If he did it hard enough, maybe he would black out and be spared any more stories. Grillby no doubt would carry him home should he knock himself out so that was a plus too.

 

Gerson laughed out loud again, slapping Grillby hard on the back. "That's right!" he cheered. "And what an ass he was."

 

"So... can we maybe stop speaking about his ass and more about what we gonna do to kick it?" asked Undyne, sharp teeth showing. The small twitch around her eyes showed how close she was to just hit something too. “We really should get on with this!”

 

Sans agreed with a grateful nod.

 

After getting Gerson's approval and promise to join their cause, Grillby had decided that it was time for a meeting. So currently the unofficial "Asgore-ass-kicking-squad" (named by Undyne) was all together in their “official base” of operation... aka an unused room in the building that is definitely not an orphanage in Snowdin. There were grumbles and protests about the cold from some of them until Grillby turned up the heat of his flames a bit.

 

So here they were, Grillby and Sans, Undyne and Gerson, Toriel, who came from the ruins (leaving the monster who were her "guests" for now in the caring hands of some trusted and loyal subjects) and Bob the Temmie from Waterfall.

 

Sans had absolutely no idea why Grillby insisted on having the Temmie here but apparently he and Bob went way back and it was important. Papyrus on the other hand was not in the room but Sans would fill him in later. It was more important to have him visible in Snowdin, just in case anybody got any ideas. The attack on Sans the other day had scared Papyrus a lot, even if he didn't say so. So he patrolled a lot more these days... so far no other attack was attempted.

 

Sans wondered if that was because the last guys send hadn't come back or because whoever had send them was planning something else. Sans also wondered if Asgore was already aware of them or if some of his guards handled things right now.

 

"I would like to talk business too." said Toriel, putting a plate with cookies down on the table and pulling Sans out of his thoughts. "As amusing as these old stories are, my Ex is no longer that monster and I rather we talk about the future than the past."

 

"No fun at all." huffed Gerson but didn't said anything more, especially after Toriel gave him a sharp look. The old turtle still huffed but looked away, head slightly bowed in a show of respect for the former queen.

 

Not for the first time Sans wondered about Toriel's feelings for Asgore. She was way to classy to have been married to their king. But on the other hand... the stories that Gerson told earlier did made him out to have been a decent monster once upon a time.

 

It made sense, in a way. Toriel was bitter, her jokes cutting like a knife sometimes. It must come with seeing somebody you love being corrupted so much that there is barely anything left. Sans couldn't imagine losing somebody that way. Not Papyrus and surely not Grillby.

 

He glanced to Grillby and watched his partner looking over all the other people in the room. The flickering of the purple flames told him that Grillby was tense but not to much, that he put in trust into the people here, into their shared desire to make things better for once.

 

Sans couldn't imagine a Grillby that would be like Asgore. Eaten away by rage and LOVE and corrupted into something that would make Sans act and talk just like Toriel.

 

“Let's get to it then!” said Undyne and produced an old map and laid it out on the table while Sans took one of the cookies.

 

"Let's see..." she mumbled to herself, looking over the map, fins twitching a bit while she concentrated on the multitude of lines in front of her. "This is the plan of the palace. King Asgore usually is in the throne room." She took a red pen and made a small red X in the room labeled “throne room” on the map. "He stays there every day for court. From about nine am to twelve am. After that he leaves." As she talked he begun to draw lines with the pen, indicating the routes Asgore took from there. "Here it gets a bit fuzzy, he likes to change protocol. But usually it falls into three main routes he takes." She marked the different routes on the map. "Finally he spends some time in his office." She marked the room again with an x. "And then retires to his room." Again she drew in multiple routes. "He is very paranoid and has next to no guards around his private rooms but there is a very strong spell around here that detects if a monster gets in." She drew a big circle around a good part of the palace. "He gets alerted as soon as somebody steps into this area."

 

"Where is the bulk of the royal guard then?" asked Grillby, leaning forward to look over the plan.

 

"Mostly here... outside. The idea is that nobody even comes this far and the few who do are easily picked up by Asgore." Undyne explained.

 

"So... when is there a weak moment?" asked Sans.

 

"There really is no weak moment." said Undyne. "We can only pick our poison..."

 

"I rather have as little people killed as possible." said Grillby, white eyes wandering over the map. "We have to distract the main army. The rest our people can simply overrun... but we have to sneak into the castle after that."

 

"And Asgore will be the hardest one to subdue." said Undyne. "When he gets his LOVE going he won't hold back. At all. Friend or foe, everybody in his path will be destroyed."

 

"So a surprise attack..." said Bob. Sans blinked at him before Undyne interrupted Bob.

 

"That is impossible with the warning spell he has around the area." She said. “We would be dust the moment we step into that zone.

 

"Hey..." said Sans. "Is that spell stationary? Bound to the floor or bound to Asgore?"

 

"I think it's bound to the floor." said Toriel. Everybody was looking at her so she just shrugged. “I remember these kinds of spells. They need to be grounded to work. Earth and stone to travel through... He probably had it installed into the ground of the throne room so it can't be turned off or be moved away.”

 

"So we got two options: take out the spell or take Asgore out of the range of the spell." concluded Bob and nodded.

 

"But... how do you want to do this?" asked Undnye.

 

Gerson started laughing. "Let that be my concern. I know how to bait the old goat."

 

"Alright." Sans took a blue pen and started drawing on the map. "So the plan is: Distract the army. Get Asgore out of the alarming spell. Take him out with a surprise attack before he can rage and kill us all."

 

"It's a plan." Said Toriel, nodding slowly.

 

"I like that plan." said Undyne, grinning.

 

"Question is: What do we do next?"

 

Everybody looked at Sans. He shrugged. "Look, I wanna have that guy gone, we all do. But... what exactly do we do with him? Do we dust him? Well, we could if there is no other option. But what if we manage to get him alive? And in general after that? Who... will be the next ruler?"

 

There was silence for a while.

 

“Next in line would be Queen Toriel.” said Grillby slowly, glancing to the former queen. She shook her head, surprising everybody in the room.

 

“I gave up the throne when I ran away... the monster won't accept me just like that after I... abandoned them.” she said slowly.

 

“You didn't abandoned them...” tried Sans but Toriel just shook her head again.

 

“I did. I left and didn't even think about Asgore and what he was to do to the rest of the Underground. Even if nobody else sees it like this, I can't be the queen anymore. Me leaving was not some form of noble protest. It was a selfish action and that disqualifies me for ever taking the crown again.”

 

"Well..." said Gerson. "In the days of old monster used to elect the most suitable monster for the job."

 

"There will be fighting if we just do that... most monster in the Underground got LOVE, it will be a dust-bath.” said Undyne, frowning. “There are a ton of monster in the guards alone that think they are better than their superior, can you imagine what happens if half of those get the thought stuck in their head that they can and should be king?”

 

"We can take over for a while, replace the guards, set up the election?" offered Bob.

 

"People will think we just took over and will try to take over us." argued Sans. “We would have shown them that it's possible so nothing will keep them from doing so too.”

 

"That... is a dilemma." said Gerson slowly.

 

"We need support then..." said Grillby slowly. "If we do this suddenly, then people will be shocked by the change and panic and react violently... if they know what's coming, if they remember a way other than violence..."

 

"So... best we keep Asgore alive then." said Sans. "So... the people don't see us as a bunch of murderers. But what do we do instead of him."

 

"... we can arrest him." said Undyne slowly.

 

"What?!" All eyes were on Undyne and it was Grillby who had shouted the loudest of all of them. Undyne just shrugged and tapped at the sign on her jacket that identified her as a high ranking member of the royal guard.

 

"I am of the royal guard and we uphold the peace via justice. And this... It's justice, right? Asgore killed and made a ton of shitty decision for monsterkin... what if we don't overthrow Asgore... but arrest him? We don't destroy a system with that, we work with it."

 

"And if the people know that it is coming... the King doesn't get killed by rebels but the king gets arrested by the royal guard with some help of some brave citizens...” said Sans slowly, while feeling a grin beginning to spread over his face. “And then we'll hold the election... it could keep the peace!"

 

Holy shit that plan was crazy but it could work! Sans could almost SEE it work. They could really pull this off!

 

"... so... we need more preparation. And a way of reaching the people, of setting the mood...", said Toriel. “But how to do so without Asgore noticing to much?”

 

Undyne grinned widely. “I know just the monster to help us with that."

 

 

 

 

Mettaton was something special, not matter who you asked. Depending on who you ask, you get different answers of course on how to WHY he is special.

 

Grillby's answer would be his charisma. Sans's answer would be that he is still alive.

 

The whole Underground knows him of course. The King was very public with his new robot program, heeling Alphys as the new royal scientist and presenting Mettaton as her first creation: A robot with a soul, merciless and hard like the metal he is made of, strong enough to withstand human attacks and to kill whoever stands in his way.

 

He was a masterpiece of engineering, a marvel of magic and technology.

 

And it was all fake.

 

Sans grew up in a lab after all. Gaster had been arrogant enough in his believe that he had full control over Sans all the time, so he had allowed him to be his assistant, letting him read the journals and even study under him when he was feeling generous. Sans had not quite understood why Gaster had allowed this. Maybe he enjoyed it in his twisted way to prove to himself just how far his control over Sans went? Playing with fire so to say...

 

It did end up biting the old creep in the boney ass. Sans had used his knowledge in the end to get himself and Papyrus out of this place. Thank you very much for giving him all the tools he needed, Gaster. Even to this day Sans could get a chuckle out of himself at the face of the irony.

 

Also, he could tell when something was off with what Mettaton was.

 

He had his theories but he never voiced them. After all, he had nothing against Alphys, he hadn't even met her yet! The crazy bastard had it coming after all and a killer robot project was better than an artificial soul project.

Speaking of that one, Sans never found out if he was a product of that or just some random street kid the doctor had picked up to a nice round of experimentation... Papyrus kinda looks a bit like Gaster too so the option "cloning" or "using his own kids" kinda were still in the room too... to be honest, at this point Sans didn't even want to know anymore.

 

Grillby had hinted at wanting to talk about that at some point and Sans had shot him down so far. Some thing really were not worth knowing, at least in Sans's opinion.

 

Anyway, back to Mettaton being fake. The thing is, despite what Asgore had said and what Alphys had promised, there never was anything even close to Mettaton again. And Mettaton himself seemed far more interested in show-business and keeping the Underground entertained than destroying humans. Well, there were no humans around but the point still stood.

 

But entertaining he could. Beautifully. He was charismatic, charming with just the right amount of aggression to fly under Asgore's radar, especially when he did his “Brave killer robot kills the evil human for the glory of King Asgore” routine. He was a master of manipulation. And he had exactly the resources they would need for their planned fall of the King.

 

People listened to Mettaton. It was something Sans wondered about. Everybody was listening to him. No matter what. Even Grillby seemed to listen to Mettaton. And you would always feel compelled to believe him. You would just... always feel like you just had to believe him.

 

Yes, he would be ideal. The perfect ally... it just seemed to good to be true.

 

"Why exactly are we here now?" asked Sans, glaring at the lab of the royal scientist. Undyne beside him huffed.

 

"Because she is the one who can hook you up with him.", she said.

 

"Why would she?", asked Sans.

 

"Because she is cool like that, now get your boney behind in there!"

 

With these words Undyne opened the laboratory and marched in and Sans just shrugged and followed her. She had said that she and Alphys were on friendly terms so Sans was pretty sure this wouldn't be a setup for an ambush.

 

The inside of the lab was dark. Sans frowned at that. It did felt different from the darkness that was in Gaster's laboratory and that put Sans just a little bit at ease. It wasn't the cold and impersonal darkness that was almost deafening after a while but the kind of darkness of somebody who didn't bother turning on the lights.

 

Undyne in any case seemed to know her way around because she kept her confident stride as she walked ahead.

 

“Alphys! Hey, Alphys! Come on, turn on the lights and come on out!”

 

There were a few beats of silence until a voice answered from the darkness.

 

“U...uh.. Undyne? Wh..what do you want?”

 

“Just meeting my best gal pal and getting her to know a friend of mine!”

 

Sans was impressed that Undyne didn't even paused before the “friend” part.

 

“Uh...”

 

“Come on, Alphys, he's cool. Trust me?”

 

There were some more moments of silence until the lights finally flickered up. Sans blinked and looked around, trying to take in his surroundings.

 

The laboratory was rather big and stuffed with all kinds of electronical devices. There were computers and monitors and a whole heap of parts and a half-dissembled vacuum cleaner. There were also poster all around with strange creatures with big eyes and colorful clothes all around as well as a whole stack of empty (and dirty) bowls next to an overflowing bin.

 

And in front of them, clothed in a not-quite clean white labcoat was standing Alphys the Royal Scientist, nervously clicking her claws together.

 

“W...what do you need me for?”

 

Undyne gave her her best teeth filled smile.

 

“We got one heck of a story and an even bigger heck of a offer for you.” Undyne said.

 

Alphys seemed to shiver for a moment before nodding. “A...alright, I am all ears, Undyne.”

 

Sans stepped forward. “Hi.” he finally said. “I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton.” He grinned at Alphys. “Let's talk about Mettaton.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I hope you had fun with that. Maybe I will write more of this in the future, who knows? Have all a nice day.


End file.
